Macabre…ish Horror Review: A Hard Place

Buckle up folks because something’s stirring in the woods and it’s not zombies. The monsters in these hills are known as guardians and if you are a fan of folk horror and indie films, you might enjoy A Hard Place.

A group of criminals are on the run after badly botching a job and leaving a pile of bodies behind them. In an attempt to escape, they find themselves face to face with some kind of forest monsters. After running into some locals and taking losses they all set out on foot but the hits and the monsters keep on coming. These creatures have been here for a long, long time and they’ve been having an ongoing feud that has nothing to do with these outsiders. But it is definitely made worse by them.

As the head of the family, Henrietta’s words are law and she insists the new arrivals stay. Her armed family makes it impossible for them to resist. 

They are ‘invited’ to a family dinner that is very reminiscent of that Texas Chainsaw Massacre scene…you know the one, and the guests finally get to find out the secret of these people and exactly who and what this family is. Plus the plan they have for them, is more horrible than they expected. No worries though, it’s about to get a lot worse because the moon is almost full.

The gang finds out escape is not an option and dissent and double crossing within their group, on top of everything else, has made survival almost nearly impossible. 

With the full moon, all of the monsters come out and the clashing lasts until well after sunrise. When it’s all said and done, the family will have a new matriarch, new alliances will be made and a lot of people will be dead.

The monsters are solid in this and the kills are extremely graphic and gory. I had no idea I needed to watch a person be peeled away from their own skeleton and now I have. If you’re a gore hound, this one is for you! 

And don’t worry, you will find some very recognizable and nostalgic faces such as Glenn Plummer (Saw 2), Lynn Lowry (The Crazies, Rabid), Bai Ling (The Crow) and Felissa Rose makes a formidable matriarch as Henrietta. 

A Hard Place is directed by J. Horton who’s directed more than 20 films. Much of his work can be found on youtube because he’s also a creator there.

Support indie horror films folks, how else will we experience gore we’ve never seen before.